Well known for his original screenplays (he was Oscar-nommed for both “Wag the Dog” and “The Verdict”), Mamet has been taking more assignments as screenwriter-for-hire: Last year, he wrote and helmed his original pic “Heist” for Franchise/Warner Bros. but also found the time to co-write the adaptation of Thomas Harris’ “Hannibal” for MGM, for which he shared credit with Steve Zaillian.